The ExtremeTech Guide to Buying HDTV

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Buying a digital capable television is an exercise in frustration and anxiety. It’s not unlike Alice’s trip through the looking glass, surreal and inviting, with promises of digital nirvana and dead-end traps for the unwary consumer. This guide should help you cut through the confusing jargon and conflicting claims.

A first step to understanding HDTV–as it is presented to the consumer.

A glossary of terms, defined in a way that’s actually comprehensible.

A high-level overview of HDTV display technologies.

What this guide is not:

A guide to what technologies offer the best image quality. We’ll touch on image quality issues, but your eyeball will be the primary judge.

A guide as to where to find HDTV source material and services. However, since the HDTV delivery vehicle may affect your choice of displays, we’ll give you a brief overview of the main types of HDTV signal sources.

An in-depth primer on the ATSC (Advanced Television Standards Committee) standard for HDTV.

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